Current knowledge about the occurrence and distribution of Orthoptera in the Czech Republic is still scarce, despite the fact, that Orthoptera are spectacular and attractive group of insect with high indikative value. Polyneoptera esearch Group parcipates in extensive Orthoptera mapping project in the territory of the Czech Republic, which runs from 2012. The aim of the mapping is to prepare and publish compreheshive Atlas of distribution. We are looking for volunteers, who would like to help us map the selected areas, or just contribute by their random observations. The filling list is available for distributional data collecting and identification key is also available in form of poster or book published in Academia publishing house in 2013 (both in Czech). More details about mapping are available on Facebook.

Groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) are detrito-bryophagous insect. Species consume mainly detritus (decomposing organic matter) and lower plants (leaves of mosses). This food strategy is unique between the species of Orthoptera. We focus on the various aspects dietary preferences, food selections or also morphology structures of mouthparts in European species of groundhoppers (Tetrix bipunctata, T. bolivari, T. ceperoi, T. subulata, T. tenuicornis, T. tuerki a T. undulata). Recently, we study food strategies IndoMalaysian species of groundhoppers (Bolotettix, Discotettix, Dolatettix, Epitettix, Thoradonta) and relationships with mandibular morphology and habitat preferences these species.

Granty: SGS OU 2015: Vybrané aspekty ekologie a fylogeneze polyneopterního hmyzu (Orthoptera, Dermaptera) interní institucionální grant Ostravské univerzity.

Grants:SGS/PřF/2015 „Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)“
CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100 and ED 2.1.00/03.0100 (IET) – EU Operational Program ‘Research and Development for Innovations’ – Structural Funds of the Europe Union and Project LO1208 of the National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic
SGS24/PřF/2014 – „Habitat a food preferences groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)“
SGS21/PřF/2013 – „Comprehensive approach to entomological research: phylogeny, ecology and physiology studies some groups of insect”
SGS2/PřF/2010 – „Food strategy of bryophagous insect“
GAČR 206/07/0811 – „Host specificity and species diversity of bryophagous insect – analysis keys factors“

Recently we know a lot about habitat requierements of Central European groundhoppers of genus Tetrix. On the microhabitat level we can see interesting ecological phenomena. It seems, each sex inhabit a little different ecological niche. The aim of this project is to find causes and consequences of this intersexual differences and which environmental conditions (biotic and abiotic) determine the active choice of the microhabitat by groundhoppers.

Grants: SGS2/PřF/2010 OU, FRVŠ 1445/2012 F4a, SGS24/PřF/2014 OU

The current pressure of human activity on nature and landscape is obvious. Since urbanised and anthropogenised areas takes relatively large part of cultural landscape, they can play important role in local and global biodiversity. Currently, knowledge of the behavior of insects in antrhropogenic landscape, especially in urban ecosystems, is insufficient. Project aims to clarify the habitat preferences and migration abilities of Orthoptera in these ecosystems, find out the impact of urbanization, spatial relations of areas with vegetation and their function as refuges and migration corridors for Orthoptera.

Granty:SGS/PřF/2015 „Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)“

Consumption of lower plants is specific for several species of orthopterans. Groundhoppers are typical “regular bryovorous insect”, because they consume mosses regularly. We know also “opportunity bryophagous insect”, which consume mosses seldom. Mosses have several physiology and ecology adaptations, which inhibit digestion or reduce nutritional values of food for consumers. We focus on measurement digestibility of food and nutritional values of food groundhoppers diet. We deal with the seasonal changes in calorific values of moss during the year and nutritional characteristics as elemental compositions some species of mosses.

Granty: SGS/PřF/2015 „Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)“
SGS24/PřF/2014 – „Habitat a food preferences groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)“
SGS21/PřF/2013 – „Comprehensive approach to entomological research: phylogeny, ecology and physiology studies some groups of insect”

Groundhoppers of genus Tetrix are parasited by Leiophora innoxia (Diptera: Tachinidae) relative frequently. Ecological relationships in this parasitoid and its hosts are almost unknown. The parasite has been confirmed in only several species of groundhoppers, but it probably attack all Cental European species of Tetrigidae. The aim of this project is to find out the groundhopper host richness in L. innoxia; what is the lifecycle of the parasitoid; the searching mechanism of the host; and whether and how the infested groundhopper change its behaviour. Much more questions related to this phenomenon remain still unanswered.

Pygmy mole crickets (Tridactylidae) have special ecology in orthopterans. Through its body size, inconspicuous lifestyle and inaudible communication are frequent pygmy mole crickets ignored. The knowledge about their ecology, food biology and habitat preferences are considerably insufficient. We focus on morphology of mouthparts, food preferences and communications in some species of genus Xya.

Granty:SGS/PřF/2015 „Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)“
SGS24/PřF/2014 – „Habitat a food preferences groundhoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)“

Wetland ecosystems are the source of biodiversity and retain water in the landscape, but they are highly threatened of anthropogenic interventions. The important wetland species of orthoptera is large marsh grasshopper Stethophyma grossum (Linnaeus, 1758). This grasshopper is classified as species near threatened in Red list of threatened species in the Czech Republic. We monitor distribution and population density this species mainly in the Protected landscape area Poodří (northern Moravia) and in surrounding area.

Current classification of the order Dermaptera distinguishes about 2 000 of species in 11 families. Majority of published phylogenetic analyses were based on morphological characters and there are only a few studies based molecular evidence from the last years. All the studies pointed out that the classification comprises some paraphylies/polyphylies, even on the level of families. For some families are not available molecular data for any species. The goal of the long-term project is gradually prepare and publish molecular revisions of individual families and finally prepare comprehenshive phylogenetic study based on molecular evidence for entire Dermaptera.

• P. Kocarek, V. John, and P. Hulva, “When the body hides the ancestry: phylogeny of morphologically modified epizoic earwigs based on molecular evidence,” PloS One, vol. 8, iss. 6, p. e66900, 2013.
  [Bibtex]

  @Article{kocarek2013c,
    Title                    = {When the body hides the ancestry: phylogeny of morphologically modified epizoic earwigs based on molecular evidence},
    Author                   = {Kocarek, Petr and John, Vaclav and Hulva, Pavel},
    Journal                  = {PloS One},
    Year                     = {2013},
    Number                   = {6},
    Pages                    = {e66900},
    Volume                   = {8},
  
    Doi                      = {doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066900},
    File                     = {:pdf/kocarek2013c.pdf:PDF},
    Publisher                = {Public Library of Science},
    Url                      = {http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0066900}
  }

• W. Tworzydło, S. M. Bili’nski, P. Kočárek, and F. Haas, “Ovaries and germline cysts and their evolution in Dermaptera (Insecta),” Arthropod structure & development, vol. 39, iss. 5, pp. 360-368, 2010.
  [Bibtex]

  @Article{tworzydlo2010,
    Title                    = {Ovaries and germline cysts and their evolution in Dermaptera (Insecta)},
    Author                   = {Tworzyd{\l}o, Wac{\l}aw and Bili{\'n}ski, Szczepan M and Kočárek, Petr and Haas, Fabian},
    Journal                  = {Arthropod structure \& development},
    Year                     = {2010},
    Number                   = {5},
    Pages                    = {360--368},
    Volume                   = {39},
  
    Doi                      = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2010.05.004},
    File                     = {:pdf/tworzydlo2010.pdf:PDF},
    Publisher                = {Elsevier},
    Url                      = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1467803910000332}
  }

The Palearctic genus Chelidura Latreille, 1825 (family Forficulidae) combine variable flightless species of earwigs. The species comlex of Chelidura (=Chelidurella) acanthopygia (Gené, 1832) includes 8 mutually very similar species which have their centre of distribution in the Alps. Two species – C. acanthopygia and C. guentheri Galvagni, 1994 – whose distribution extend to the Central Europe, also occur in the Czech Republic. Their diagnostic morphological characters on the forceps and the pygidium mutually overlap and both species occasionally occur syntopically. The aim of the project is to clarify phylogenetic position and taxonomic statute of these species and the whole species comlex, using molecular phylogenetic methods. The material is collected especially in the area of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and the northern part of Italy, mainly in the Alps from where the most of the species of the complex were described.

Granty:SGS/PřF/2015: Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)

The food biology is very little studied aspect within biology of earwigs and only few papers deals with this topic. In most species exist only individual and poor data. The aim of the detailed study is to determine food preferences of the selected species of Central European earwigs in natural and laboratory conditions and to assess their potential importance in agriculture and forestry. The distribution of nymphs and adults of earwigs is also studied in the context of vertical stratification of floodplain forest, including dietary links of earwigs in each tree level.

Granty:GAČR 14-042583: „Why do tropical forests have more species of insect herbivores and parazitoides than forests in temperate zone?“
SGS/PřF/2015: Selected aspects of ecology and phylogeny of polyneopterous insects (Orthoptera, Dermaptera)

• P. Kočárek, “Life cycles and habitat associations of three earwig (Dermaptera) species in lowland forest and its surroundings,” Biologia, Bratislava, vol. 53, iss. 2, pp. 205-211, 1998.
  [Bibtex]

  @Article{kocarek1998a,
    Title                    = {Life cycles and habitat associations of three earwig (Dermaptera) species in lowland forest and its surroundings},
    Author                   = {Kočárek, Petr},
    Journal                  = {Biologia, Bratislava},
    Year                     = {1998},
    Number                   = {2},
    Pages                    = {205--211},
    Volume                   = {53},
  
    File                     = {:pdf/kocarek1998a.pdf:PDF}
  }

Socotra Archipelago hosts an extraordinally rich fauna and flora. The long isolation of these islands (at least 15 million years) has led to the development of a very specific fauna with a high proportion of endemic taxa. Based on the previous study (Kočárek 2014), thirteen species have been found to occur in the Socotra archipelago, while seven species (54 %) appear to be endemic to Socotra Island, including newly described endemic genus (Sokotralabis Kocarek, 2014). Recently we prepare molecular-phylogenetic study focused on relationships of Socotran Dermaptera fauna with faunas in surrounding areas of Africa and Arabic Penninsula. The study will contribute to the clarification of the origin of Socotran biota.

• P. Kočárek, “Earwigs (Dermaptera) of Socotra Island: checklist, distribution, and description of a new genus and four new species,” Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, vol. 54, pp. 1-21, 2014.
  [Bibtex]

  @Article{kocarek2014,
    Title                    = {Earwigs (Dermaptera) of Socotra Island: checklist, distribution, and description of a new genus and four new species},
    Author                   = {Petr Kočárek},
    Journal                  = {Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae},
    Year                     = {2014},
    Pages                    = {1--21},
    Volume                   = {54},
  
    File                     = {:pdf/kocarek2014.pdf:PDF},
    Url                      = {http://biotaxa.org/AEMNP/article/view/9491}
  }

Earwigs (Dermaptera) are frequently introduced into European countries by international trade of plants and goods. These species often come from tropical or subtropical areas and often survive through many generations in conditions of different types of greenhouses. We found and documented occurrence of earwig Euborellia annulipes in Czech Republic (Kočárek et al. 2015) and described a new species of earwig, Euborellia arcanum Matzke & Kocarek, 2015, from Germany and Austria. The most probable region of origin could be Neotropical, due to the distribution of the morphologically similar and likely related species E. peregrina, but the geographical origin staying unresolved. Food preferences and the potential roles of the synathropic earwigs as pests or biological control agent are evaluated.

Grants: Institutional Research Support Grant from the University of Ostrava (reg. no. SGS21/PrF/2013). Project CZ.1.05/2.1.00/03.0100 (IET) financed by the Structural Funds of the Europe Union and Project LO1208 of National Feasibility Programme I of the Czech Republic.